ingredients

400g of perciatelli pasta, 5 aubergines, extra virgin olive oil, 1 tin of skinned tomatoes, chopped basil, grated pecorino cheese, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper, 40g lard.

making it

Skin the aubergines, cut into long thin slices and fry them in the oil.

Put to one side when golden. Brown the garlic in a frying pan with more oil.

Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook on a high heat.

To one side boil a pan of lightly salty water and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is half done and then place it in dish.

Pour the oil and sauce from the tomatoes over the pasta and mix well.

Grease an oven dish with the lard. Start placing the pasta then aubergine and cheese in layers until the pan is full.

Ensure the final layer is aubergine and everything below is sealed in.

Add the tomatoes on top and what's left over of the cheese, basil and a few crumbs of lard.

Cook in a moderately heated oven for 15 mins or until the cheese has melted and fused the pasta.

See also Maccheroni Timballo recipe from Lazio